Shutterbug
by Lovely-shadow
Summary: Spike was suppose to just disappear.  Hide in a small town where they'd never find him. Make no waves.  But, this young photographer was hard to ignore.  Getting to know her was going to be a wonderful mistake.  sequel to "when you chose to walk with me"
1. Roof girl

A sequel to "When you chose to walk with me", but this doesn't have really anything to do with Lovely or Rokian...but, what happened to Spike...

This one will be more sexually graphic( anyone who read my last story knows what a sex fiend Spike is), but not too much since I really don't want to be banned. If you really want a super sexed charged predator fan fic, look for 'Crystalize' which I'll probably put up on Adultfanfic later this month. One more thing, If anyone wants to adopt my TMNT fan fic, go for it. I wrote it a LONG time ago, I forgot what direction I was going with it and, frankly, I just really don't want to write for it anymore. So, if you want it, take it. Just let me know and don't mary sue up the story. :D

-###-

Rein snapped another picture as she wiped the sweat that was intruding into her brow. It was much hotter on the roof than she expected. She squatted down, looking through the lens at the gore fest below. She heard over her bosses police scanner that they found several bodies hanging upside down in Roy's; a small fish processing warehouse on the edge of town. That wasn't even the odd part. From what her and her boss could make out, the bodies were missing their skin, others were missing their head. Rein shook her head. Only in a small town. She switched out her lens for a longer range one. It clicked into place as she raised it to her eye. Rein watched as they carted body bag after body bag out of the small warehouse; snapping pictures quickly. She cursed under her breath for getting to the crime scene so late. She had to sneak onto the roof just to get some decent shots. She used her camera as a telescope to spy on the 'enemy'. Rein had worked for the Monster Party Tribune for nearly a year and lived in Falls city, Oregon for three. She still felt like an outsider. In a small town, the second they hear you come from a big city like Las Vegas, they either are extremely interested or despise you. It was mostly the latter. She stared at the other photographers and news vans through her lens and grimaced. They were so much closer than she was. Her whole paycheck was riding on getting the better shot. She turned her attention back on the small time Sheriff and his underlings. She laughed at his inability at handling the situation.

"Ah, Sheriff Richard, you fat fuck. Suddenly, you're not so high and mighty."

Rein couldn't count how many times the deputy made sexual remarks or grotesque gestures toward her after Jack passed away. They'd never have the balls to say anything while Jack was around. They were cowards.

"I better not get blamed for this shit."

She scoffed. Rein wouldn't have been surprised if she was beaten up, held without charges and questioned by him and his flunkies over this. Last summer, there were a slew of home invasions and the first one they carted in the station was her.

"Assholes..."

She snapped a picture of the flustered sheriff for her own personal collection. Rein rolled back and sat on her heels. She took a deep breath and nearly gagged. The smell of fish and rotted flesh was magnetized by the heat. She tried to shake the smell away from her nose as she raised her camera back up to her face. Rein raised the camera to take a picture of the 'Roy's' sign. The shutter clicked two separate pictures. As she placed her finger on the button to snap a third picture, her eye caught, what she thought, was a smug on her lens. Rein removed her cleaning cloth from her camera case, cleaned her lens and looked through her lens once again. Her lip curled in a scowl. It was still there.

"Oh, great! Is the lens scratched?"

Before she could lower her camera once again, the smug moved. It wasn't her camera lens, that's for sure. She lowered her camera and squinted at the roof tops across from her.

"What..the hell..?"

She raised her camera and stared at the moving smug. She pressed her finger down on the shutter button by force of habit. It looked almost...

"No way." She lowered her camera. It was the heat. She was dehydrated, hot and tired. Rein dismantled her camera and placed it into her case. She lifted the heavy, square case and hobbled across the hot roof to the door. She placed her hand on the knob and...nothing.

"Oh, no no no NO!"

She sat the case down, using her other hand to try to force the door open. Pulling, pushing, kicking, begging. No use. It wasn't budging. Rein took a step back from the door to try to assess the situation. She was on a roof without the owners permission, the only way she could get down was to wave down one of the hick cops below. She glanced down at the police force, coroners and firemen. She considered it, but quickly dismissed it. She'd rather die of dehydration on the junky little roof than EVER ask those creeps for help. Instead, she circled the building, looking for an emergency ladder, which she found...broken. No way it could hold her weight. Of all the luck. Rein smashed her hands down on the cement floor. She covered her mouth with her fists to muffle a frustrated scream. She stood back up and paced the roof that seemed to grow hotter by the minute.

"This is asinine!"

An odd clicking noise brought her attention away from her self pity rant. She looked around the roof, unsure of the origin. She looked over the side of the building. The clicking noise filled the air once again. She looked behind her. It sounded like it was coming from somewhere on the roof. Rein surveyed the area. The only other thing in on the roof besides her and the exit was an empty water tower. She stared intensely at the tower, waiting to see if it would make the noise again. After a minute or two, she dismissed the clicking noise as hot air escaping the empty water cooler. Rein rubbed her arms, growing a little nervous. She couldn't shake this feeling that someone was watching her. She leaned against the water tower only to be startled by a a noise that sounded like something big and metal being dragged across the cement roof. She whirled around to see the exit door slowly swing open. Rein stood like a deer in headlights, unsure what to do. Was someone screwing with her? She slowly inched toward the door. What was going on? She knelt down and picked up her camera case. She pulled the door open the rest of the way, forcing the moist heat of the stairway to hit her in the face. Suddenly, her whole body stiffened. She knew she was alone on the roof, yet she was getting the sensation of someone touching the back of her neck. Rein panicked, grabbed the back of her neck and whirled around. She pulled out her mace and held it out at arms length. No one. Rein lowered her arm and tucked the mace back into her pocket. She sighed in her throat and rolled her eyes. She was getting paronoid.

-###-

He noticed her almost immediately. She was alone on a roof, taking pictures of the idiot humans below. He, too, watched as the ooman law enforcement tried to remove the bodies he left for them. Many of them ran from the warehouse to vomit or gather their nerves. It was always a delight watching the horrified look on oomans faces when seeing one of their own skinned and hanging from their feet. The roof girl, on the other hand, seemed rather indifferent to watch was going on below. He watched her switch lenses and talk to herself. He walked across the adjacent roof when he realized she was watching him...sort of. The girl was focused on his exact location. With his light bending cloaking device, there was no way she could tell what he was. He was amused by her; she looked so perplexed. She cleaned her camera, looked again, then tried to leave the roof. He wanted to get closer to her. He jumped the large gap between the two buildings, landing at the edge of roof just as she walked right next to him to look over the side.

He tilted his head and studied the girl. She was a young breeder, small frame. Her skin was light and smelled sweet. Her hair was short and blonde with bright pink tips. It was pulled back by a green polka dotted bandana. Her left arm from shoulder to elbow was tattooed with cartoony fish and objects unknown to him. She was wearing a black tank top that nicely shaped her mammary glands. He fought the urge to reach out and touch them. She also was wearing blue shorts and flip flops. Her clothing didn't leave much to the imagination, which was fine by him; he had a terrible imagination. He enjoyed the tangible. He leaned close to her, watching her struggle with the door, then walk around aimlessly on the roof. He chose to toy with her. He clicked softly, which took her attention and confused her even more. He could tell she was getting nervous, so he decided to throw the breeder a bone. While she on the other side of the roof, he took the exit door's handle and jerked it open with some force. He startled her, much to his amusement. The roof girl slowly inched her way to the door. He lightly brushed the skin of her neck with his claw tips.. She panicked and pulled out, what he assumed, was suppose to be a weapon. After a moment, she placed the cylinder object back into her pocket and ran down the steps. Oh, he liked this one. She was going to be his new prey. He was looking forward to it.

-###-

"Not bad, Jem. You got some good shots, here."

Rein leaned against her boss, Curtis's doorway as he fanned through the photos she took yesterday with nicotine stained finger tips. He called Rein 'Jem' after a popular 80's cartoon featuring a pink haired singer. The reference was lost on her. She was only twenty years old. He laid them all down in front of him on his desk.

"Fifty."

Rein scoffed and cocked her hips to the side.

"Fifty, my ass. I have pictures of the victims out of the body bags. One fifty each."

Curtis ran his fingers down his chin and gave her a considered stare. She folded her arms and returned his stare with hazy blue eyes.

"I'm not Peter Parker, Curt. You can't low ball me."

"You know how much legal shit I'm gonna have to go through just to post the skin pictures? Seventy five."

"One hundred. I can go to Grotesque magazine and they'll pay me what I want for them. Besides, you can't even tell who the victims are."

Curtis sighed. He hated Grotesque Magazine with a passion. They always seemed to get the news way, _way_ before his staff did.

"Fine, fine. One hundred...for the GOOD pictures. And, hear me out, fifty for the not so good ones."

Rein pushed herself off the doorway and smiled.

"Deal."

He filed through them, before handing her back two pictures.

"Here, you can take those two back. I think you had something on your lens in one of them. It's all blurry."

Rein stared down at the picture. It was a picture of the moving...thing...from the other roof top. As she studied it, she began to see a human form. An arm, a head...Something of that of a man. A lump grew in her throat. Curtis obviously didn't give this picture a second glance. What the hell was she looking at? She still had the negatives back at her home. The odd smug-human-thing needed a closer look.

"Hey. Hey, here's your check. You know, you're a real ball buster, you know that."

Rein forced a laugh through her teeth as she snatched the check out of his hand. He leaned back in his chair and watched her leave. She had a cute ass. Why did she insist on flaunting it in front of him? Tease. He cleared his throat.

"Heya, I'm going out for a drink tonight, you wanna join me?"

"Never mix business with pleasure, boss.", she called out over her shoulder as she walked through the hallway. She wasn't interested in dating someone like Curt. He wasn't bad looking, he just wasn't...Jack.

-###-

He moved through the forest, quickly and quietly. There was something about the forests on Earth that made him feel invincible. Nothing could defeat him there. It was also where he found most of his prey. He climbed up a tree with ease and stared out at the small town he chose to invade. He had traveled thousands of miles to find a small town he could disappear in. After his disgrace and loss of battle between that god damn Yautja prince, he thought it would be best if he was never found. He knew he had a hefty bounty on his head by now and if he were ever found, his people would surely execute him right then and there. His name was Spike on the human tongue, Sang'ue in the Yautja tongue. He was once a decorated warrior; an amazing Yautja fighter. Nothing could kill him, his trophies were the envy of all. Then, it all came to a halt after one particular trip to Earth. He had taken a ooman female, and it was delicous. Sure, they fought him, but he was stronger. Something about the breeders body was intoxicating. He no longer had to fight to mate. The ooman women were weak. He could easily take them; it was just too easy. He, then, began smuggling the breeders on the hunting ships where Yautja paid insane amounts of money. He had become respected, feared and powerful on his home planet, until...

His face twisted into a frown. Lovely. The 'Prince's' ooman mate. How he hated that girl. He leaned back against the tree trunk. That was a lie. He believed hated her, yet her smell, her skin, her body made him want to take her over and over, making her _his_ woman. But, when she began to smell more like Rokian, the 'prince', he lost his lust. He couldn't touch or go near her without Rokian's scent invading his senses. His lust became a bitter hatred for Rokian that eventually spilled over as a hatred for 'Lovely'. All because Rokian 'tainted' her. He punched the vacant air in front of him. The years he spent as a fugitive on Earth were quite enjoyable apart from the annoying cold weather Earth was prone to have. The snow felt unpleasant to the touch. His mind floated to the other human girl. He had been in the town for months and never once came across her. She was the polar opposite of 'Lovely'. She had an attitude and a little less skiddish. Spike rubbed his chin in thought. No matter how long he ran from his past, the thoughts of Lovely and Rokian continued to plague him. The memories were never going to die, he had the scars to remember them by. It had taken him months to fully heal from the brink of death. He traced a scar on his chest with his finger, then pushed them both out of thought and brought his mind back to focusing on Roof girl. She was going to be a fighter. Just his type of lady. He heard a growl from below him. He looked down to see a bear, growling up at him. The Yautja smiled. This would have to do for a distraction until he located where roof girl lived.


	2. Bad idea

I'm glad for all the positive and helpful critiques I received from you all. I promise I'll keep this up and not leave you hanging for months at a time like with...that other story..that took five years to write...Good God! XD Also, last chance if anyone wants the TMNT fanfic..I'm erasing it from existence at the end of this week. I'll try to update twice a month.

-####-

Rein sat back in her chair and took a drag from her home rolled cigarette. She stared intensely at the close up shot of the blurry smug she developed only moments ago. From outside the room, 'Under Pressure' blared from a stereo. She scratched her eye brow and switched the red development light to the normal naked bulb. She took another drag of her cigarette, pulled the photo off of the make shift clothes line and pinned it up onto the wall with the other six pictures of the same image. She stood in her small photo development room staring at the photos she had taken the week before. It was hard to make out, but it looked like a human form. Rein removed a sharpie from her back pocket, pulled the clearest picture off the wall and traced the image. She fanned herself with the photograph. It was a person, that was sure. She put out her cigarette and pulled her hair out of it's messy ponytail. It couldn't be what she was thinking. She didn't believe in it. Rein was atheist; had been for years. She was a see-to-believe type person. She didn't believe in the afterlife, let alone ghosts...yet, it appeared one was staring back up at her from the picture. A name slipped passed her lips before she could stop it.

"Jack..."

Rein crumbled the picture up and threw it violently onto the floor before leaving the cramped room. It couldn't be. She placed her cold palms against her warming cheeks. In truth, she didn't understand why she was getting so upset by the prospect that Jack could possibly be trying to reach her. The months following his death, she use to lay in bed, sobbing, praying, wishing and begging for him to come back. That what happened didn't. That he would come through the door with that big, goofy smile. That he'd be alive.

She inhaled and released a shaky breath, stubbornly trying to keep the tears at bay. She turned down her stereo as she walked to the kitchen and took a water bottle from the fridge. She leaned against the counter, staring at her camera that was sitting on the island counter. Curtis had told her to go digital. It was 'cheaper', he said 'No paper, no development, no smelly chemicals.' Rein refused. She loved the idea of completely creating something as personal as a photograph. As cliché as it sounded, she always thought of photos as a window to the person holding the camera's heart. She put the bottle down and picked her camera up. She continued to study it as she walked outside to the balcony.

Jack said he always wanted a place surrounded by trees. He promised her he'd build them a house with a design he had stashed, which he did. Rein stared out at the dense forest, tapping her camera with an index finger. She leaned against the railing and snapped a picture of the thick clouds rising over the mountains. It was still early; the sun hadn't shown it's face yet. The good ol' sheriff didn't make his rounds for a while. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, blind hope or just stupidity, but she had to find out what that thing in the photograph was. Rein packed her camera and headed back out to Roy's.

-###-

Spike took another bite of the bear flesh he had procured days before. He had smoked the meat over a fire while he removed the muscle, skin and hair from the animals skull. The flesh had become salty and tough, like leather. He held the cleaned skull up against the rising sun. He couldn't help but chuckle. '_Old habits die hard'_, he thought. There was no other real reason for him to hunt down the drug dealers, the army men, the law officers or dangerous animals except for that very reason. He had an abundance of skulls hidden in a cave far from the small wooded town. It was his stronghold. The area surrounding the cave was encompassed by booby traps. No one could get to his hide out unless knowing EXACTLY where to step. Scar stuffed the last of the jerked meat into a satchel attached to his belt, along with the bear skull. He had left the bear pelt back at the cave for warmth. It was starting to get colder by the day. Oh, how he _hated_ the cold. He made a mental note to find more large animals for their fur. Overhead, a small bird cawed as it glided over his head. He watched it fly over the trees and disappear.

Spike let out a throaty click. He was becoming more and more frustrated as the days passed. Judging by his count, it was getting closer to mating season on his planet. His species mating season normally coincided with the winter season on Earth. He punched his fist into his other palm. He had to find some unsuspecting sweet thing to take some of his sexual frustration out on. He stood and turned his head toward the town. Roof girl. She'd due just fine. All he had to do was track her down. It would be easy, he had her scent memorized. He tapped a sequence on his gauntlet and disappeared.

-###-

Rein constantly glanced over her shoulder as she made her way down the processing factories. It was a Sunday, so most of the factories where closed. It worked for her. The last thing she needed were people calling the cops down to arrest her for trespassing. Rein stopped in front of Roy's. The windows and door were plastered with police tape. It started to make her nervous. The cops had no idea who murdered all those people and hung them from the ceiling. From the town gossip, she overheard two old biddies talking about the 'retarded bag boy' that worked at the grocery store in the middle of town. They had meant Fred. Rein saw him from time to time. He was slow and had a very bad stutter, but it didn't make him a 'retard' and it definitely didn't make him a murderer. He was quiet, always was polite and gentle as a fawn. Those women didn't know what the hell they were talking about. Still, Rein knew she hadn't thought things through. There was some psycho running around killing people buffalo bill style and she decided to walk around ground zero with an expensive camera, wearing flip flops and a sundress. Rein cut through a small alleyway between two warehouses, looking for an emergency ladder to the ghost roof that wasn't a piece of shit.

"Ah, there you are!"

She climbed up the sun rotted ladder, cursing that she wished she wore gloves. It was caked in rust, dirt and God knew what else. She slowly poked her head over the top of the roof. She scanned the top, not sure what to expect. It was empty. She pulled her camera case over her and sat it on the roof before pulling herself up. Rein clicked the camera case open and assembled the camera with a normal lens. She stood up, holding the camera just under her chin. She took a deep breath.

"H-hello? Casper?"

No answer. She wound the film and took a picture.

"Jack? Are you still here?"

Nothing. She turned slightly to the left and took another picture.

"I mean, if you are Jack. I mean, you could be some old soldier..."

Another picture snapped.

"..or maybe some kid."

She went to take another picture, but stopped.

"Or maybe you were just an overlapped picture...or my camera is broken."

Rein felt like an idiot. What the hell did she expect to find? She lowered her camera. So, this was what she became? A pathetic ghost hunter on her days off? She was no better than the idiots on those staged reality shows. Jack was gone. He wasn't going to come back. She stared thoughtfully at her camera and snapped one more picture.

Rein sat indian style on the warm top, fumbling with the unlock button to remove the lens, when something dawned on her. A preserved crime scene was right below her. If she could get some good pictures of the scene, she could sell it to Grotesque magazine for twice as much than Curtis could give her. She tapped her fingers on the camera. If she got caught, however, it would be bad. Very, very bad. The local sheriff's department already had it out for her, for whatever reason. She rolled her eyes. It might not have been so bad if she didn't have a sour attitude toward almost everyone in town, then again, who would want to be civil to the same people who made snide comments about her behind her back. Rein placed her camera back into its case and climbed down the roof. As she placed her foot down on the last ladder step, it snapped off the bolt, sending her crashing down onto the hard pavement below. She sat up, rubbing her lower back.

"Dammit! That hurt!"

As she stood, she felt her dress cling against her. She cursed, thinking she landed in something. Rein pulled her dress to see what she landed in and froze. Red. It was blood. She felt along her back and bottom, then looked at her hand. There was a deep, fresh slash running parallel to a crease on her hand. Rein had rubbed blood all over the back of her dress. She stared back up at the ladder. She had to remember to never use an emergency ladder ever again. She retrieved her lens cleaning cloth, using it as a makeshift bandage. Rein stared thoughtfully at her hand. She was unsure if the cut was going to need stitches or if she'd be fine going on without them. She closed her hand into a fist and winced. Fresh blood began to soak through the cleaning cloth. It was beginning to burn, also. Rein let out a frustrated sigh. She had walked all that way, there was no way she was going home without _something_.

-###-

Spike was able to find roof girl, surprisingly, in almost in the same spot. The smell of her blood hit him hard as he made his way toward her. He found her wrapping her hand in a piece of cloth. She was mumbling and cussing under her breath as she stood and walked back around to the front of the buildings. He calmly followed behind her from a distance, watching her every move.

-###-

Rein lifted the case with her good hand and made her way to the front of Roy's and shook her head. The only thing covering the doorway was police tape and a small, thin piece of ply wood. This town was making it too easy for red neck jokes. Rein sat the case down, checked to see the coast was clear and pushed the plywood to the side, only to jump back and gag. The vague scent of fish and rotted bodies she smelled days before on the roof was magnified by a hundred thousand. Rein began wondering if she could catch a disease from just breathing in the rancid smell. She placed her wounded fist against her nose and proceeded into the warehouse to find the crime scene. It didn't take long. The back of the large, closed in area looked like someone had poured buckets and buckets or pigs blood on the floor. Some drops of blood still dripped down from the pillars above. Rein stared up at the rafters, then down to the floor. She squatted down, balancing herself on the ball of her feet. She stared at the coagulated, browning blood along the paved floor. Bits of flesh and hair stuck out from the blood, looking like tangled weeds in the mud.

Rein held her breath and quickly maneuvered her camera out of it's case while simultaneously glancing behind her. Rein couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. She tried to convince herself that it was the atmosphere of the warehouse. She fiddled between her injured hand and camera. She took a shot of the beams above; some still had the rope that was used to hold the bodies and the flesh and hair tacked to the dried blood on the floor.. She, then, stood and backed up a few steps and looked through the eye piece. The large puddle wasn't in frame. She took a few more steps. Still not in frame. She took two more steps back and bumped into something heavy. She jumped and whirled around. Just some damn wooden crates. Rein let out a relieved sigh and placed her hand against her chest.

"Jesus, if this were a horror movie, I'd be the first to go."

Rein side stepped the crates and stepped back a little bit more and snapped the picture of the blood puddle. She retrieved her case and moved it back with her. She wanted to get the whole shot; beam and all. She stepped back with case en tow and bumped into another heavy object.

"Stupid boxes."

She lifted the camera and shot the final picture. Satisfied, She bend down to open her camera case. As she was bent over, she felt a hand rub up her inner thigh. Rein shot up and spun around to face a _very_ large man. Rein felt her heart jump to her throat. Bad idea. This was a very bad idea. The masked man towered over her, staring.

"I-I'm sorry. You must be one of those sunshine cleaning guys. I...I'll get out of your hair."

Rein grabbed her camera case and went to walk around him, only to be block by the man. She heard a familiar clicking noise that trailed from under his mask. She started to breath harder. No one knew she was there. The man tilted his head and reached out to touch her again. Rein reacted, swinging her camera case with all her might against the mans head. The case slipped out of her hand as it knocked him off balance; giving her a chance to run passed him. She cradled her camera against her chest while she ran out of Roy's and down the empty road. Her mind was racing. She tried to scream, but all that came out were throaty whimpers. It wouldn't have made much of a difference, there wasn't anyone around. She glanced over her shoulder every few feet. No one was behind her, but there was no fucking way she was going to stop.

-###-

Spike couldn't help but let out a laugh. She was stronger than she looked. He straightened himself out and picked up the broken hinged camera case. He wasn't originally planning on exposing himself to her so soon in his little game of cat and mouse, but she what did she expect when first she rubbed against him, then bent over right in front of him. He caught a glimpse of her panties when he groped her leg. She had a cute ass. But, of course, she panicked and ran. He examined the broken case. She left without it. He was going to have to return it to her.


	3. Not so romantic meeting

Rein shifted from foot to foot outside of Dr. Lerner's home. She had originally thought about heading straight to the sheriff's department, though discarded the thought almost immediately. The last thing Rein wanted was those morons trying to pin a breaking and entering charge against her. Then again, she had left her camera case behind. With any luck, she thought, the creepy guy just stole it. Worst luck, he left it for the coppers to find. She squeezed her injured hand with the other. Five hundred dollars worth of camera supplies; gone.

Reluctantly, Rein tapped her knuckle against the thick, wooden front door of the large cabin. After a few minutes, an elderly woman pulled open the door and poked her head out between the door frame and the door.

"Yes? Can I help you?" It was Dr. Lerner's mother. She adjusted her thick-framed glasses, before letting out a surprised gasp. "Oh, Rein! How have you been? How's Jack? Is he still working those long hours? How's school?"

Rein gave the 90 year old woman a soft smile. Senility had taken over Doris years ago. She still thought Rein was 13, Russia was the Soviet Union and Reagan was still in office. Doris motioned for her to enter.

"It's good, Mrs. Lerner. Everything's..okay."

Doris nodded and patted Rein on her arm.

"I am so happy to hear that. Oh, would you like some lemonade? I just made some last night. It's nice and sour. It's my favorite like that."

Rein gave a genuine smile to her. Doris was just so sweet and polite, it made her forget momentarily about the pain caused by the gash in her hand.

"I would love a glass. Um, is Dr. Lerner here?"

"Oh, yes. He's upstairs. I'll call him on the speakers. He doesn't like me climbing the stairs on my own, you know."

Dr. Lerner had installed speakers through out the house so his mother could call him whenever he was in the house. He had done so last summer after Doris had fallen down the middle set of stairs, breaking her left hip.

Doris slowly made her way into the kitchen, leaving Rein alone. She peeked through the lace curtains by the front door. She released a breath she held since knocking on the front door.

"What did you do to your dress, Rein?"

Rein turned to see Dr. Lerner on the staircase, wearing stripped pajamas covered in a forest green robe. Rein greeted him as Doris paced back into the room.

"Oh, John. Rein is here."

"Yes, mother, I know."

Doris smiled at Rein.

" Oh, Hello Rein. Would you like some lemonade, dear? I made some last night."

Rein let out a soft chuckle.

"I would love some."

Doris reentered the kitchen as Dr. Lerner approached her.

"What's wrong, Rein? I usually don't see you up and about this early. Did you injure yourself?"

Rein held up her gashed hand. The lens cleaning rag was soaked in blood.

"oh, my. That's a doozy. Here, come into my study."

She followed the good doctor into his private study, which looked more like a doctors office minus the slab covered in the sanitary paper. Dr. Lerner led her to a comfy chair then grabbed his bag, cleaning his hands and putting on a pair of gloves. He gently placed one hand under hers and with the other, dabbed a peroxide soaked cotton ball. Rein sucked in air through her teeth. The peroxide bubbled and turn white. It stung and made her hand itch.

"How in the world did you manage this?" He asked as he cleaned her wound. "You...you didn't do this to yourself on purpose, did you?"

Rein's eyes widened a little. She was a little offended that the doctor would think she'd cut herself.

"Wouldn't that be a wrist cut, not a palm? No, no. Nothing like that. I was being clumsy with some home repairs, that's all. Is it...bad?"

He glanced up at her before inspecting the gash.

"Hm? Oh, no. Hand and head wounds always bleed heavily." He turned her hand around and traced her veins with his finger. "It's because of all the veins close to the surface of the skin. But, just to be safe, I think I should stitch it. It could get infected easily if it's left t it's own."

Rein winced. Oh, how she hated needles and needles going into skin. She grounded her teeth as he turned his back to her to thread a surgical needle. He turned back to her. Rein looked away.

"Oh, geez. Can't you just sedate me or something?"

He chortled.

"I'll tell you what, Rein. You be a brave girl and I'll give you a lollipop. A snoopy lollipop."

Rein rolled her eyes.

"I'd rather have some lower tabs."

He laughed again.

"I will give a small prescription of generics for the pain. That's it. Now, hold still."

Rein let out a soft gasp as the needle entered her skin.

...

Spike tracked roof girl to a cabin occupied by some very old oomans. He waited for nearly a half an hour before she finally emerged. One of her hands were bound in bandages, the other carried a small machine. He rubbed the side of his face where the bulky case connected. His mandible was going to be sore. He shadowed her as she quickly made her way through the center of town. She went into a market and left with a small paper bag. She looked back every once and a while, eyeing different people as they walked by. He wasn't positive, but it seemed as though she was deliberately taking a longer route. He chuckled. To think she could shake him. If there was one thing he was good at, it was hunting down someone he _wanted_.

Roof girl finally seemed to take a linear path down a seemingly empty paved road, picking up her pace. Spike jumped to the ground, several feet from her.

...

Rein Sighed heavily, staring at her hand. It was beat red from the needle and peroxide and the stitches. Oh, what a morning it had been. She had cut open her hand, assaulted a person, lost her camera case and was tortured by the doc's evil needle and it wasn't even noon yet.

"Gotta be a new record of _dumb-assery_." , she spat as she popped a generic into her mouth. As she reached her home, Rein realized that popping the pill might have been a bad idea. She felt light headed and sleepy. Rein stared at the bottle and chuckled. The ol' doctor wrote out the wrong prescription. He gave her Fentanyl. Rein was almost sure he was use to writing out a prescription for his niece, who had chronic back pain aka pain pill addiction and just wrote it out of habit. She kissed the bottle.

"Doctor Lerner, you crazy old man, I love you!"

Rein took a final look behind her before unlocking the sliding glass door.

...

Spike followed roof girl up to her home. It was away from the town, quiet and isolated. It was perfect for the deeds he planned on. Roof girl opened a sliding door and walked away long enough to silence the alarm. It also gave him an easy window to sneak in while her back was turned. He quietly sat the case, she so charmingly smashed against his face, behind her couch. He stood next to it, watching her lock the door, reset the alarm and sleepily drop everything in her hand on a chair as she slinked down a hallway, into her bedroom. He waited for nearly an hour before picking up the case, leaving it on the kitchen counter and following her into the bedroom. The girl was bundled up in the middle of the bed, draped in a blanket.

Spike Leaned over her. Her rhythmic breathing was a dead giveaway she was sleeping. He folded his arms across his chest. This wouldn't do. She was drugged up and asleep. He wanted her scared, fighting, running, _sober_. Staring at the vulnerable girl currently occupying the bed he towered over, he carefully reached out his claw, dragging a finger down her naked arm. A ooman woman's skin was nothing he had felt in the entire galaxy. It was soft and pliable, yet could be cut open by something as simple as paper. She shifted, raising one of her legs to her chest, leaving a clear view of her panties and the outline of the skin just behind the cotton barrier. He frowned. It almost felt like she was unconsciously tempting him. He reached down and touched her inner thigh with his finger tip and waited. She made no movement, no acknowledgment she felt him groping her. Slowly, he moved his hand up and cautiously caressed her soft flesh hidden under her panties. Roof girl let out a soft murmur he thought sounded more like a moan. This was better than any fore play he could think of. He was getting excited faster than he could control hit. Before he could stop himself, he let out a lustful click. He removed his hand just as she bolted straight up. She looked around before inhaling sharply and rubbing her eyes.

"Geez, that shit really takes it out of you."

She ran her finger along her bandaged hand before climbing out of bed and walked back down the hallway, Spike right behind her. She sleepy walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge door. Spike watched her bend over to pick out a bottle of water. She twisted the cap off and turned around as she took a drink. As soon as she did, water jettisoned out of her mouth. She coughed into her hand and backed into the fridge. Sitting on the island counter was her camera case. She dragged her back along the fridge, to the wall. Rein's eyes darted around the room. That man was in her house. She was so sure no one was following her. How could she have so stupid. _So fucking stupid_! She turned to run back down the hallway, only to bump into...nothing. Air? Was she still doped up? The space in front of her seemed to move and...was visible? Continuing to back up, Rein recalled the pictures she took a while back. The 'ghost' looked like it was standing right in front of her.

"J...Jack?"

Right after she spoke the name, the man from earlier stepped out of, literally, thin air. Rein felt her chest cave. No, not Jack. She backed up slowly. The masked man shadowed her every step. Rein hadn't realized she backed up all the way into the living room until her leg bumped her coffee table. She raised her hands out in front of her.

"Look, whatever it is you think I saw, I didn't. I was just there being nosy. I didn't see anything. I swear. I've got money. Whatever you want, you can have. I don't care."

It sounded as though the masked man let out a chuckle before taking another step toward her. Rein grabbed the only thing within arms reach: a heavy, glass candy dish off the coffee table. She lifted it as though she was going to throw it. Spike shook his head slightly. Was she serious? That would do nothing against him. He growled. Spike was growing irritated and more frustrated. He reached out to grab the dish from her hand, only of her to snake back, turn around and throw it through the sliding glass door. A ludicrously loud ringing alarm pierced his ear drums, causing him to squint and cover one of his ear holes. While he was distracted, Rein ran into a small, red lighted room with a heavy door, locking it behind her. Spike stared at the door she disappeared behind. He removed his mask and let out a laugh that was not audible above the alarm. Clever. What a clever girl. He was becoming more fascinated by his roof girl every minute. He placed his mask back on and enabled his cloaking device. An alarm meant ooman cops wouldn't be far behind. He could have his cover blown this quickly.


	4. sneaky little brat

Sorry for the long hiatus. I was in the process of buying a home, moving, finishing my A. degree...it took up a lot of my time. But, I'm back. I'll post more often now that I'm settled.

-##-

Rein pushed her back against the opposite side of the small photo development room, knocking over a half empty container of photo chemicals and stared intensely at the locked door. She tried her best to listen past the blaring alarm, wondering if the man was dumb enough to stay after all of that. Rein plugged her left ear with a finger. She'd never heard the alarm go off before; it was so much louder than she ever would have thought. After several minutes, she slid down the wall and crept slowly on all fours to the door. Rein hesitated another several minutes before pressing her ear against the door, only for the sound of someone pounding on the other side slam against her ear drums. In a split second she had doubled back to her original spot, grabbing a broom and holding it out in front of her.

"GO AWAY, FUCKER!"

A muffled voice came from the other side of the door, followed by another voice. The alarm suddenly cut off and the pounding on the door resumed.

"Miss Rein? Are you okay? This is the police."

Rein took a shaky drag from her cigarette as officer Dollente sat her opposite, writing down what she told him. She glanced around at the other three cops maneuvering around her home; one of them was the sheriff. Dollente scratched his cheek with the cap end of the pen and cleared his throat.

"Was there any type of characteristics you can think of besides he was tall? You said around six or seven foot?"

Rein shook her head and covered her eyes with her palms.

"Yeah and no. He was wearing a mask and this weird mesh...thing across his chest. Maybe a survivalist guy. I didn't get a look at his face. He might have been black...or tan or white. Damn, I don't know. I just panicked and grabbed something strong enough to shatter glass. I don't know how he got into my house without me knowing. If he would have opened the door while I was sleeping, the alarm would have gone off. I'm sorry, I'm not much help, my head's still blurry."

Sheriff Richards emerged from her bedroom, shaking the pill bottle Rein had filled from the good old doc.

"Could it be because of these?"

Rein rolled her eyes and held up her bandaged hand.

"Those are prescription from doctor Lerner. I sliced up my hand pretty good while cooking; I didn't buy them from the town tweaker."

The sheriff tossed the bottle onto the kitchen island and pointed his thick finger at her. His face red with anger.

"Now, you listen to me, little girl, you're talking to an officer of the law. I don't like your attitude. When you address anyone in this uniform, you say sir or ma'am. Do you understand me?"

Rein took one last drag from her cigarette before putting it out in the ash tray on the coffee table and letting out a smokey 'whatever'. The sheriff snorted and turned to his officers.

"Alright, we got everything finished? Okay, we're out of here."

Rein shot up from her seat.

"Hey, wait, you're just gonna leave me here by myself? That guy knows I live here alone. He knows what I look like. I don't even have a back door for God's sake!"

Sheriff Richard tilted his head toward Dollente.

"Stick in the patrol car 'til the door people finish replacin' the door. Then get back to the station."

Dollente agreed and watched his fellow officers leave through the hole that was once the back door. Rein walked into the open kitchen, looking for something for her parched throat. After several minutes of silence, Dollente stood with his thumbs looped in his gun belt.

"Don't take it too seriously, Rein. He's an ass. I think it's mandatory once you turn fifty."

Rein reemerged from the kitchen, holding two water bottles.

"Hah, I suppose. Here, you might be sitting there for a while."

She tossed the water bottle to Dollente. He laughed and shook the bottle at her.

"Oh, I don't know. It's a little early and I am on duty. And I'd change out of that dress. You look like a serial killer with that blood on it."

Rein laughed politely at the dumb joke as she watched him leave. After a moment, her smile faded into a worried frown. She didn't know what to do. Ideally, she would leave town until the murders either stopped or someone was caught. Realistically, as much as she hated to admit it, she was scared to leave the house. It seemed like she was abandoning her late husband. Her mother had called at least once a week, asking for her to come home. But, Rein couldn't. The house was build especially for her by a man who loved her.

Rein finished her water just as there was a knock on the door. The door guys were finally there.

-##-

While in his cloaked form, Spike watched from the high beams on the ceiling. He leaned on a support beam, listening to the conversation below. He noticed the brave little roof girl was so upset, she was shaking. She could barely hold a small smoking stick to her mouth. After some arguing back and forth with the heavy set sheriff, the girl was momentarily left alone. Spike sat up to jump down from the beams, when there was a knock on her door. Spike maintained his spot while he watched two men replace the glass door she had shattered. He made a mental note about the security system and what would set it off. He needed privacy with the roof girl and didn't want this little fighter to cheat again.

-###-

Rein paid the two door repair men and watched them leave. Dollente waved from his patrol car. Rein returned the wave and shut the front door. She heard him turn the car's engine over and back out from the driveway. Rein locked the door and took a deep breath. She clicked a few keys on the security panel then walked to the glass doors and pulled the curtains across them. She stood there silently for a moment as if she was unsure of what to do next. Rein then turned and slowly made her way to her bedroom, snatching her pills from the counter as she went.

Spike slowly lowered himself to the floor. He heard the sound of running water, then music immediately after. Roof girl was taking a shower. Spike's top mandible raised and he let out a pleasant thrill. He stepped from his cloaking device and silently made his way down the long hallway. His excitement level began to rise. The girl was too trusting of her environment. It wouldn't be long before her was writhing under him. Spike stepped over her discarded dress she was wearing, came to the bathroom door and listened. He could hear her humming along with the song that drifted out of the bathroom.

He took the bronze doorknob in his hand and turned it without making a noise. After another second or two, he pushed open the light door and stepped into the large bathroom. Steam and loud music hit his face in full force. He clicked quietly as his eyes fixated on the shower curtain. He took several steps toward the curtain until he was in arms length of it. As he reached to yank it back, he felt a presence behind him. A trap. Spike whirled around only to have a wooden baseball bat connect with his head. He stumbled backward and steadied himself with the curtain rod. The girl had hidden behind the bathroom door. Spike was shocked a little human breeder actually set a trap. She had changed her clothing and left the dress on the floor as a special touch to the trap. Cute. That was two lucky hits she got since they met. She wouldn't get a third. Rein pulled the bat back over her shoulder in a ready position.

"_I KNEW IT! _ I knew you were still in here some how. Get out of my house, whoever the hell you are!"

Rein went to swing the bat again, when Spike tackled her, knocking them both out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. He ripped the bat from her hands and snapped it in half. Rein's face grimaced at the sight. What the hell was he? He tossed the broken bat behind him and climbed on top of her, placing a clawed hand around her neck. Frightened, Rein did the only thing any woman could do in that position. With all of her remaining strength, she kneed the son of a bitch right dab in the groin. A roar exploded from behind the mask the man was wearing as Rein scrambled out from under him and scooted on her ass backwards. Spike felt as though he would vomit. How dare this little bitch hurt him in such a way. He had had enough. Spike stood, ripped his mask from his face and roared at the girl; his mandibles stretched wide across his face. Pissed was far from what he was feeling at that second. The reveal was followed by a blood curdling scream. Rein scrambled to her feet.

He was a monster. A monster she attacked; three times. She backed up toward the door leading to the hallway. Her mind was Shouting at her. Run. Run. RUN. RUN. RUN! Rein's legs developed a mind of their own they bolted down the hallway toward the front door. She didn't make it out of the hallway. Spike caught her within a few steps and tackled her back to the ground. He forced her to turn onto her back and held both her hands down on either side of her head while he straddled her. Even though it was fruitless, she still squirmed and tried to escape his grasp. It was almost comical to him. He had fought and defeated hard meats that didn't squirm as much as this girl. It was such a shame he'd have to kill her; she was such an interesting human. He lowered his head so he was only inches away from her face. He spoke slowly and clearly.

"You..will stop..fighting..or I will..make you..stop..."

Rein bit her bottom lips before forcing a 'Fuck you' through her teeth. Spike removed his left hand from her arm and placed it around her neck. He tightened his grip. Roof girl's eyes had filled with tears and were now leaking from their corners, moistening her blonde hair. Her face grew red as the blood began to stop it's circulation. She placed her free hand against his chest, looping her fingers around his mesh cover. Her soft pink lips parted, but nothing came out...at first. She made a small squeaking noise before letting out a soft:

"C..coward."

Something in the pit of his stomach lurched. He barely knew the girl, yet that word cut him deeper than any knife. He softened his grip and the girl coughed; sucking in as much air as her lungs could hold. He felt something. Something he never suspected he could ever feel; guilt. Despite being defeated, she didn't beg for her life, like so many of her kind did. With that one word, all of his anger had seeped out of him. He removed his hand from around her neck, then sat back onto his heels while still straddling roof girl. He was placed in an awkward position. He didn't feel much like doing anything to the girl anymore, yet he couldn't just leave her. She had seen him, she knew he was not from this planet not to mention he had just tried to suffocate her. Word would get out and his cover would be blown. His race would find out he was still alive and they would come for him. He placed his fist on his thighs and tapped it with a clawed finger. Roof girl laid there nursing her neck, staring up at him with wide eyes. She had since stopped crying and instead, remained perfectly still; her eyes locked on his. It seemed as though she were trying to figure out what he was thinking. Silly breeder. Finally, he made a decision. He wasn't going to leave. He placed his fists on either side of her head and leaned in close.

"I am no coward."

-##-

Rein blinked in disbelief. The monster made it very clear he wasn't leaving. The monster had since climbed off of her and sat on a dining room chair. She had her back to the kitchen island. They had a sat there for several minutes before Rein's attention turned toward the sound of running water. She had left the shower running. Suddenly, Rein thought of a way out. She purposely put in the wrong code of the security code so it couldn't turn on. She could get out through the large window in the bathroom. She cleared her throat and pointed to the hallway.

"I...left the water on..."

She jumped when he made that weird clicking noise. It was unnerving being stared down by this creature.

"Please. Can I please take a shower. I won't try anything. Please."

The humanoid monster turned his attention to the hallway and shook his head, agreeing. He stood and waited for her to follow him. Rein cautiously stood and walked down the hallway, glancing behind her every other step. It just didn't seem possible this thing existed. It couldn't be a mutated human, at least, she didn't think so. Her next thought was alien, which was just as ridiculous as the mutant theory. Rein reached the bathroom door and turned to the creature. With all her effort in trying to sound calm she blurted out;

"I'll only be a minute. I..um...wait here."

She wasn't sure what else to say so she very slowly stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. Once she was alone in the bathroom, Rein grabbed onto her hair and squatted down. She was trying to work up her nerve. She looked at the tile floor, then the window. She hadn't opened it for a while. There was a chance it would creak. She inhaled and exhaled slowly before standing. Rein had to try something. That thing on the other side of the bathroom door was violent and possibly had darker intentions with her. She intertwined her fingers and placed them to her lips, staring at the window. Rein turned her head to listen for the creature. She couldn't hear anything. That was good enough for her. She unlocked it as quietly as she could then very, _very_ slowly turned the window latch. It, thankfully, made no noise. She watched the two window panes turn away from each other, creating an opening large enough for her to squeeze through. Rein took one last look behind her at the door, before quietly climbing through the window. The moment both feet touched the wooden porch, Rein began to run.

What Rein hadn't realized was the creature was no idiot. The second the bathroom door closed, he walked around the house and planted himself above the bathroom window. He wasn't an unblooded and therefore, not stupid. He may had over looked the fact she punched in the wrong keys to her security alarm at first and underestimated her ability to sense someone else near her, but he refused to be tricked by a damn little breeder any longer. Once she hit the dirt path leading through the woods, Spike leaped from the roof; landing at the beginning of the path. The girl didn't seem to hear him or didn't care. Either way, the thrill of the hunt began rising in the pit of his stomach. Spike clicked a few buttons on his gauntlet and activated his cloak and gave chase.

Rein darted from the path, into the woods, which she knew could possibly be a stupid move. The thing was fast and big and could probably rip every limb from her body if he wanted once he realized she had taken off. Rein ran quickly past several large trees. Who or what the hell was it? It seemed intent on staying in her house. Fine by her; it can stay, but she wasn't. Her feet were being torn up from the brush lining the forest floor, but the amount of adrenaline in her system made her oblivious to pain. After a while, Rein began to feel her chest burn. The adrenaline was winding down and soon she found herself in the middle of the woods, alone and with cut up feet. She stopped and turned in slow circle. The day light was waining and in her panic, she idiotically ran the wrong way.

"Rein, you fucking idiot!"

She shouted then clasped both hands over her mouth. She didn't know how well that thing could hear, but she thought maybe it best not to broadcast the exact spot she stood. Rein caught her breath and glanced around. If she kept going the way she had been running, the only thing she'd come across was the lake. This time of year, however, there weren't many people. September wasn't exactly prime swimming and fishing time. Rein leaned against a tree and rubbed her eyes. She was screwed. What could she possibly do? Run back to the house, climb back through the bathroom window and pretend she was there the whole time? Maybe if she wanted to be a prisoner in her own home with some monster as her warden.

"No, thank you."

Just then, a twig snapped behind her, Rein whirled around. She went from relieved to fright in a split second. It wasn't the monster man, but a bear cub. She looked around and above her. Mother bears didn't just leave their cubs alone. Rein inhaled sharply. It didn't notice she was near it. She slowly backed away from the cub, but as she took another step backwards, the brush beneath her snapped. The cubs attention went directly to her and immediately began crying.

"No, no, no, no no. Sssshhhhh! Shhhh! I'm not gonna hurt you, please stop crying. See? I'm leaving."

Rein continued to back away from the cub as she tried to quiet the little animal. When she thought she was far enough away from it, she turned to run...only to be confronted by a very large, very hungry looking Mama bear.


End file.
